By Clay Larroy
Make
the most of your travel experiences. Taking a cruise is a great
way to see many different places when you travel. Cruises offer many activities
and things to do while on the ship, while offering you the opportunity to
explore different locations each time you arrive at a port. Travel is a great
opportunity to learn more things. Time spent abroad helps you understand and
appreciate diverse cultures. In addition, it encourages an acceptance and
tolerance of ways of life that differ from your own. When
you want to plan a vacation contact me!
Events in Mexico City, Mexico
Candlemas Day
(2 February annually)
Where: Streets and
churches throughout the city
Marking the end of the festive season, 40 days after Christmas,
Candlemas Day (Candelaria) is a nationwide traditional celebration, partly a
Catholic tradition and partly a pre-Hispanic ritual. The day is primarily a
family
celebration and a time of reunions and religious worship; often a chosen
member of each family hosts a party, offering tasty tamales and atole (a
beverage made from corn). There are numerous street parades with groups
carrying representations of Baby Jesus to church where special masses
are held. This aspect of the festival is clearly a nod to the Jewish tradition
of waiting 40 days to present a newborn baby at the temple, which is the origin
of the Catholic celebration.
The 2nd of February is also the mid-way point between the winter
solstice and the spring equinox and is therefore a date celebrated in many
cultures as a marker of seasonal change (for instance,
Groundhog Day). The festival is celebrated all over Mexico but places
like Mexico City, Veracruz and Tlacotalpan host the biggest markets, street
parties, and bullfights, turning the religious celebration into a festive,
public affair; whereas the smaller towns and villages often restrict their
celebrations to the church and home.
Independence Day
(15- 16 September annually)
Where: Zocalo and city
streets
Mexicans celebrate the anniversary of their independence from Spain with
great gusto, particularly in Mexico City where the Zocalo (main plaza) fills
with throngs of people from early morning the day before the event, as
spectators await the appearance of the president on the balcony of the
National Palace. The president duly appears to shout 'the Cry', a re-enactment
of the 1810 call to independence by Father Hidalgo. The original Cry or Grito
was pronounced in the small town of Dolores, near Guanajuato, and marked the
beginning of the Mexican War of Independence. Mexico only became officially
independent after more than a decade of war, in 1821. The
emotional crowd replies with 'Viva!' to the president's re-enactment and
the city erupts with excitement, abuzz with street parties and fireworks.
Most towns, villages and cities have similar gatherings in their central
squares, with lots of festive paraphernalia like confetti and whistles in the
Mexican colors of green, white and red. The following day a three-hour military
parade begins at the Zocalo in Mexico City and ends at the Angel monument on
the Paseo de la Reforma. Independence Day is one of Mexico's biggest
celebrations, if not the biggest, and it is a wonderful time to be in the
country!
Day of the Dead
(1 -2 November annually)
Where: Various
A Mexican tradition with Aztec roots is the honoring of the departed
with traditions that nowadays closely resemble those of Halloween celebrated to
the north. The main function of the holiday is to celebrate the memory
of the departed with prayers, parties and visits to graves. In most
regions of Mexico November 1st is celebrated in honor of lost children and
infants, whereas November 2nd is in honor of dead adults; for this reason, the
first day is actually called Dia de los Inocentes, or Day of the Innocents. The
Mexican celebrations coincide, aptly, with the Catholic holidays of All Saints'
Day and All Souls' Day.
In Mexico City markets and stores are liberally stocked with flowers,
candy skulls, paper skeletons and candles. Processions are made to cemeteries,
where vigils or even parties are held and the favorite foods and possessions of
dead relatives are often left at their graves. Visitors to Mexico City who want
to make the most of the celebration should head for Mixquic, a mountain pueblo
south of the city, which hosts an elaborate street fair and solemn processions
to the town cemetery. Travelers should note that although the Day of the Dead
looks similar to Halloween, and does often involve parties and happy
celebrations, it is essentially a somber holiday which has deep meaning for
participants and shouldn't be taken lightly by foreigners.
Migration of the Monarch Butterflies
(February and March annually)
Where: The Monarch
Butterfly Biosphere Reserve
In Autumn each year the Monarch butterflies gather in southern Canada
and begin a journey across North America to Mexico. The insects that begin the
journey in Canada will never see Mexico, but their great-great-grandchildren
will eventually make it to the small town of Angangueo in Michoacan
province some 3100 miles (5000km) from the start of this epic journey. Like the
butterflies, tourists flock to the small town of Angangueo to see the millions
of bright orange butterflies obscuring the sky and some say you can literally
hear their wings beating. The annual migration of the Monarch butterflies is
one of nature's great mysteries and continues to baffle biologists and nature lovers
worldwide.
The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve was deemed a UNESCO World
Heritage site in 2008. Only some areas within the reserve are open to the
public and tours can be organized to see the incredible spectacle from the city
of Morelia (visit the Tourism Office for information). Getting to the right
area in the reserve takes about 45 minutes on foot or shorter on horseback. The
best time to see the butterflies is between January and March each year. Don't
forget your camera!
Cinco de Mayo
(5 May annually)
Where: Puebla, east of
Mexico City
On every Fifth of May (Cinco de Mayo) in the state of Puebla, the famous
Battle of Puebla is commemorated with traditional music, dancing and general
festivities. The battle saw a far outnumbered Mexican army defeat a large and
better equipped French army on 5 May 1862. The French invading force, then
considered the strongest army in the world, encountered fierce resistance from
Mexican defenders at the forts of Loreto and Guadalupe, with the 4,500 Mexican
troops unexpectedly defeating the 8,000-strong French force.
Ironically, the day is probably more celebrated in the United States
than it is in Mexico, in a similar fashion to the celebrations of St. Patrick's
Day. Even the name Cinco de Mayo is used more by the US, as the Mexicans often call
the festival El Dia de la Batalla de Puebla. For the US, the battle came to symbolize
the fight for freedom and democracy and was an inspiration during the American
Civil War; today, in the US, Cinco de Mayo is a general celebration of Mexican
heritage and pride, when Mexican food, music and folk traditions are embraced. In
Mexico the battle is still commemorated enthusiastically, mainly with street
fiestas and parades, but the epicenter of the festivities is in Puebla.
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